ISLAMABAD: The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) will meet on April 25 to review the Rabbi Crops production and to set the targets for Kharif Crops. Earlier, the meeting of the committee was scheduled to be held on April 18 but it was belatedly decided that the meeting would now held on April 25.
The FCA would review the Rabbi crops production including wheat, grams sunflower and set targets of cultivation of major Kharif crops like cotton, maize, sugarcane and pulses for the year 2011-12.
Deputy Agriculture Development Commissioner (DADC) in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MinFA), Imtiaz Ahmad Gopang told APP that Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mir Israr Ullah Zehri would chair the meeting.
Besides, he said that the meeting would take stock of timely availability of agri-inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and water for the coming sowing season.
The financial corporations would also brief the meeting about credit disbursement and availability for purchasing the inputs for the coming season, he added.
The DADC further informed that the officials of all concerned ministries and departments including, MinFA, Ministry of Water and Power, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, DG Water Resource Management and Met department officials would attend the meeting.
The representatives from the provincial ministries of food and agriculture and Azad Jammu and Kashmir would also attend the meeting for setting the targets of Kharif crop in their respective provinces.
Imtiaz Ahmad said that the committee would put special focus to increase the per acre yield of major crops like cotton, sugarcane, maize and pulses to tackle the domestic requirements as well as for maintaining the strategic reserves for future needs and exportable surplus in the country.
Giving the overview of Rabbi crops, he said that wheat crop out look was satisfactory and surplus wheat production was expected, besides the production of grams and other minor crops.
He informed that cotton was cultivated over 2608 thousand hectare of land and achieved 11.5 million bales as against the set targets of 3200 thousand hectare of land and production of 14 million bales.
The flash floods, he said had damaged 0.598 million hectare of land destroying about 2.59 million bales worth Rs. 79.27 billion to the agri-sector.
The DADC informed that cotton cultivation had been started in lower Sind and it would be started in the Punjab province by next month.
The recent rains, he said would help to give proper moisture for the cultivation of cotton crop in the country.
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